is recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the majority leader. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. it's my privilege to be recognized by you, to address you here on the floor of the united states house of representatives. and on this day, on this tragic day as we've watched the events unfold in boston, and each of us, our hearts go out and our prayers go out to the victims, the victims' families and all of those who are doing so much to put back together the great city of boston while our hearts bleed for the whole country, and i am -- i am -- i think optimistic that the president, at least his office, has declared this to be an act of terror. it clearly is. we will bring the perpetrators to justice and many of us fear

this is another episode in a long series of episodes of terrorist attacks against americans and in the united states. and it troubles us more here than any place else than it might happen when americans are attacked any place in the world. mr. speaker, i add to this point, we are a resilient people, we are a proud, self-confident, tenacious people. and if anyone attacks americans, it has the opposite effect. it strengthens our resolve and galvanizes us to action. even though as years go by and we look back on some of these attacks on americans our vigor might diminish because we might think we have resolved some of the issues with regard to the terrorists that are attacking us, i announce here to you tonight that the american people are going to stand together. we stand with the people in

boston. we stand with the massachusetts delegation and stand with the northeast and stand with the 50 states and stand together in defiance of the kind of terrorism. we stand for some things here, mr. speaker. and there are a series of components of what it takes to be an american or become an american. and it starts with a list of the pillars of american exceptionalism, which are along the line of that list, freedom of speech, religion, the press, freedom of assembly and keep and bear arms, property rights and through our judicial branch, there is no double jeopardy. you are tried by a jury of your peers and face your accuser. the powers that are not enumerated in the constitution deinvolve to the states or people respectfully. all of these are components of

american exceptionalism and another component is free capitalism and the rule of law. it says in our constitution, the constitution itself is the supreme law of the land. and we must abide by the consfution, the language in it. and the language in the constitution isn't something that can be redefined away from us, but instead, mr. speaker, it is a written contract, it's a contract from the generations that ratified the constitution and the subsequent amendments to the succeeding generations. our charge is to preserve, defend and protect the constitution of the united states and if we find that the wisdom of our predecessors didn't foresee circumstances in the current era we are, we have to defend always the language of the constitution and the

understanding of the meaning of that language at the time of ratification, but instead have enough courage to amend the tools and use the constitution. the supreme law of the land. the rule of law is an essential pillar of american exceptionalism. without it, we wouldn't have a reason to uphold the constitution. and i often speak to groups of people and inform them that the constitution guarantees us these rights, but it can't be guaranteed and upheld generation after generation unless each generation defends each language that is in the constitution, the original language that is in the constitution and exercises those constitutional rights. can you imagine, mr. speaker, if our society decided at some point, we aren't going to exercise our freedom of assembly. and for some reason, if the stigma of society would

discourage assembly for us to come together and talk about the issues that we want to have our dialogue and exchange on, the next generation could hardly get out the constitution and look at it and say, in here, it says we have freedom of assembly and re-install it. or for for example, if we gave up our second amendment right to bear arms. our children, grandchildren, after a generation, two or throol three going without any right to bear arms, point this this document and say there is a right to keep and bear arms. you cannot re-establish these rights that are in the constitution if we once stop exercising them. we exercise freedom of speech and exercise freedom of religion and freedom of the press. all these rights are rights we have to utilize.

and they are rights that define for us and this constitution has within it, the supreme law of the land. there is another component of american exceptionalism as well, aside from these rights that are in the constitution and the free enterprise piece of this which gives our economy most vigor and i would advise people that are preparing to take the nationalization test, that's a choice by the educational foundation to understand our history and language, one of the questions that will be there, what is the economic system of the united states? the answer to that is free enterprise capitalism. that's what gives our economy its vigor. and when we move away, when we move towards government management of our economy, government bailouts, government deciding who is too big to allow o fail, so much of our economy

loses its vigor and we lose some of the promise of the great american civilization. another piece of this also that i speak to relatively often, mr. speaker, and that is american vigor and last component of the american exceptionalism that i'll list here tonight. american vigor, where does that come from? well, we have natural-born american citizens that are part of the civilization and culture. and they are -- and these natural-born american citizens are the did he sent ants who came here with a dream. when they came here with a dream, they saw the promise in the statue of liberty. and there is a list of american exceptionalism components that i talked about, most of them in

the bill of rights. our forefathers were inspired to come here in order to realize their dream. they saw that they couldn't make it in their home country where they hoped to be able to do that and couldn't realize their potential in their home country. they knew there were challenges here and they came here to rise to the level of their potential. and because of that, there has been a natural filter that has been built and it's the willing legal immigrants that came to america and were inspired by these pillars of american exceptionalism which are embodied within the image of the statue of liberty and they decided to get on a ship and travel to come to the united states, get in line to become a legal immigrant to the united states and so many of them have dynamicically contributed to our economy, our culture and

civilization. we are that kind of america. but there is a unique american character and spirit and vigor that comes from those who came here in a legal way that have contributed to our society and culture and the things that they have taught their children and the things that their children have taught their children in each succeeding generation on down. are of unique quality and character. we aren't just the did he sed dants of latin america, we are the cream of the crop that have sent people here to become americans. we are the only nation in the world where people can come here and become american. it does work to come to the united states of america,

embrace civilization and embrace this constitution. take the test, qualify for naturalization and become an american citizen and i remember going to a naturalization ceremony and the old executive office building and i remember the speaker that day as there were maybe 125 new citizens naturalized that day and he said look out that window. and when you look out the woipped of the indian room of the old executive building you see and he said from this day, from this day, the person who lives in this house next door pointing to the white house is no more american than you are. that is a profound statement and it's true in the united states and i don't believe it's true anywhere else.

we have a special mission, mr. speaker. we have a special responsibility. a responsibility to promote god-given liberty and freedom throughout the world and hold free enterprise and capitalism together and hold our rights and all of these things that are in the bill of rights. but i fear that too many, too many in this congress and too many across this country have lost touch with what that means. and so because of political purposes, it seems to me there are a number of them that are trying to devise a way to make accommodations out of political expediency that undermines the pillars of the rule of law. i take you back to 1986. 1986, there was a long debate, months long, may have been two years long, debate about what to

do about 800,000 people who were in the united states unlawfully. and through that debate, they worked out an accommodation. and 800,000 was more or less generally understood to be a million people and ronald reagan in his honest way was reluctantly to sign the 1986 amnesty act. when he did that. he promised we would get enforcement and immigration law would be than forced with the united states government and that was a promise that was made by this congress and promise that was made by the president of the united states, ronald reagan, who was trust worth as any president in my lifetime and one i have long admired and only let me down twice in eight years. but he made a commitment to enforce the 1986 amnesty act.

i called it amnesty. the definition thn is what we have today. to grant amnesty is to pardon law breakers and reward them. what happened back in 1986? the people were pardonned with some exceptions. those who had violent criminals and some others. but they were pardonned and given a legalization and exchange was that were in the united states at the time, there would be a cutoff and those who came after, would be faced with the full enforcement of the law and this 1986 was going to be the last amnesty ever the rule of law was to be restored and there would never be the promise of amnesty again. unfortunately, mr. speaker, that didn't hold up. history knows that. history notes that and there

have been six or seven less significant amnesties. and they are making promises to people if they could just get in the united states and live in the shadows there would be another amnesty that came along. the 1986 amnesty, the 800,000 people became three million people, they had document fraud and underestimateations of the numbers of people. so we are watching as the gang of eight will presumably introduce a bill tomorrow in the united states senate and we don't know what confidence what is in that bill. but we do know that all of the initiatives that have come from the open border side of this argument. we know what democrats think. they do citizenship.

they would mail it in if they could, because they see a significant political gain. on the republican side of the aisle. seems to me that they have suspended the full understanding of what goes on in history or what would take place. what are we trying to accomplish, mr. speaker? . . the president said, republicans will never win another national election unless you pass immigration reform. i don't know that we should be looking to the president for advice for republicans. the second part he said was, i'm trying to help you republicans. some of the people believed that, i do not. neither do thinking americans believe that the president of the united states who has been charged with attempting to, let

me say, significantly weaken the republican party, would be seriously trying to improve the republican party. what are we trying to accomplish? well, i'd like to restore the rule of law. and i hear members of this house and senate talk to me about, for example, they say the president of the united states has refused to enforce immigration law. that's true. he's unconstitutionally, lawlessly, refused to enforce immigration lew. he has defined classes of people that will be waived as subjects of enforcement and now i have people on my side of the aisle come over and they say, we have de facto amnesty. no, we have literal amnesty. we have factual amnesty. not de facto amnesty. the president has declared in a lawless fashion amnesty for those who do not threaten him politically. that's large classes of people in an unconstitutional fashion,

he has announced, he has announced that they are issuing work permits, creating a work permit/visa for people that are in the country illegally when the law requires that they come out and enforce the law rather than grant them work permits. so de facto am necessary the? no, it's real and literal amnesty and now it seems as though many people on my side of the aisle have leaped to this conclusion that this amnesty exists, call it real, literal, de facto amnesty, it exists and the only way to deal with that is go ahead and officially act and legalize so we can somehow resolve this issue. this is an issue that's been created by many, many years of failure to enforce immigration law, but the idea that we should -- congress should ratify an unconstitutional lawless act on the part of the president is beyond my comprehension as to how that solves the problem.

and i hear one of the voices in this immigration issue say, we will never get border security unless we first grant -- unless we first legalize the people that are here illegally. how does that follow? how is that rabble? that we'll never get border security? we have a president who is not going to ennorse law. we know workplace enforcements are down 70% under this president. janet napolitano declares we have fewer interdictions on the border, therefore it proves we have fewer border crosses. it doesn't prove that. f you want fewer interdictions, just slow down enforcement. i do believe there are fewer crossings because of the economic condition. ut we need to look at drug

interdictions, or look at how many people die in the desert coming across in arizona. that will give you data on what kind of border crossings we have. the question of granting people a path to citizenship and they argue, mr. speaker, that somehow this is not a path to citizenship when it's a path to a green card. the argument that a green card is not a path to citizenship. if a green card is not a path to citizenship there is no path to citizenship here in the united states but we know that it is. a green card is a path to citizenship and a path to a green card is just a little bit longer a path, a path to citizenship. the american people understand that, it's not a mystery. some of the proposals are also, well, on this exchange, instantaneously, this is a proposal coming out of the senate tomorrow, they will instantaneously legalize everyone here in the united states illegally and then set

about if someone is discovered who happens to have a felony on their record, committed a violent crime perhaps, three serious misdemeanors that emay package them up and send them back where they can wake up legally in their own country, they might to that. meanwhile, you see there's no will to enforce the law for lawbreakers. there's no will to do that. if they pass their legislation, instantaneously 11 million or 20 million or more people are legalized. can we imagine if all these conditions that they write into this bill as far as security are concerned and operational control of the border and an entry-exit system and an everify system, they say then there's going to be a path to citizenship, can we imagine that once people are eelize -- legalized they would ever be delegalized because of the failure of the executive wraverage to follow through on all these promises that are

going to be made of the executive branch, by the legislative branch of government, by presumably a president who hasn't kept -- hasn't followed through on his oath of office to take care that the laws be faithfully executed? here is one presumption. they want to put everify into this, that would mean we have full enforcement and the jobs in the workplace. well, no we won't have enforcement unless the executive branch enforces. they have already told them stand down. they can give you a whole list of circumstances in which i.c.e. is prohibited to enforce law by this branch of government. who can imagine that everify if it passes and becomes law, mandatory is going to be enforced to the extent it's effective. i say instead, clarify that wages and benefits paid to people illegally working in the

united states are not business expenses. when that happens, you'll see employers make that decision. they will not want the tax, the penalty, and the interest liability that goes along with a tax violation. that's a clear piece, it's not a piece of policy being discussed by these people because they are not serious about solving this problem in the way rule of law people would be. e-verify won't be enforced adequately to be effective. it could be passed, i think it could be passed as a condition but next one is, finish the border fence. we have that language in place now. we passed a 700-mile border fence language, actually 854 miles and that's because the border is crooked in some 40 es and we've got about miles of effective fence system of follow through on the existing law we have, is my recommendation. we don't have to have a new law to build a fence. build the fence, secure the border, then come back and tell us you have actually accomplished that.

let's watch this thing with drones and see if that's taken place. we know from the last drone report the border patrol even drone assisted were not interdicting half of those attempting to cross the border and that number in that sector of the border was over 3,000. then the argument about operational control they have border, hand that over to who? a border commission to be named later. or hand it over to the judgment of janette in a poll tawney who has already declared to have significant operational control of the border, i don't know if anybody is buying that particular line. then they'd also implement an entry-exit program. we have that. it's called u.s. visits. it's been in law since about 1996 when it first began to be implemented as the entry and then we aed the exit piece of it but it's never been implemented. i've stood at the border and watched as people come in, swipe their card, go register on a computer they come into

the united states, an hour later, the car goes back south again, doesn't have to stop again because there's no exit system in place. why not? this administration and the previous administration were not determined to complete it. piece after piece of this, mr. speaker, says if another -- says it's another empty promise they tell us, we are going to fix the immigration situation so we don't have to deal with it again in our lifetime. well, we know better. the 1986 amnesty act wasn't the last oneful they was promise of the next one. we had six or seven since then. this is a huge promise of amnesty and wouldn't be the last one, it would be the biggest promise for the next one. and anyone who could get into the united states before this is enacted would stay here as long as they choose in the shadows or out and if those in the shadows get to be great enough number, then we will have established there will be another amnesty down the line. we cannot be a nation unless we have borders, we cannot declare

we have borders unless we decide and control who comes in and who goes out. that's an important obligation, if there's going to be an america, we must preserve the rule of law and while we're doing it, mr. speaker, we must also preserve and protect and respect the dignity of every human person. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. under thepeaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from new york, mr. jeffries is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. jeffries: thank you very much for your recognition, mr. speaker. under ordinary circumstances, i would stand before you today as a member of the congressional black caucus, where for the next 60 minutes the c.b.c. would speak directly to the american people about an issue

of significance that the country is confronting. however, today, as a result of the extraordinary events that occurred a few hours ago in boston, massachusetts, there is no issue that is more significant than standing with the people who participated in the marathon, those runners and those observers and those first responders who were victimized earlier today. as president barack obama mentioned, this is a moment where we're not democrats or independents or republicans, we're americans. we're not blacks or whites, latinos or asians, we're one

today and as representatives from 43 different congressional districts across the country, the c.b.c. would like simply to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family members of those who died earlier today. we want to extend our great sympathies and our best wishes to those who were victimized and we are praying for full and complete recovery. we also, of course, want to extend our thanks and our heart felt gratitude to those first responders who once again demonstrated courage under fire and bravery in the face of dangers that were seen and

unforeseen. now, america is a great country, and whatever is revealed about the attacks that took place earlier today, we're confident that we have the resolve to continue to move rward as strong as we always have been. in the aftermath of pearl harbor and throughout world war ii, americans demonstrated great resolve. during the cuban missile crisis in the face of the possibility of nuclear catastrophe, america nonstraited great resolve. in the face of -- america demonstrated great resolve. in the face of uncertainty following the horrific oklahoma city bombing, america demonstrated great resolve and

of course in my home city, the great city of new york, and all across this country, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on september 11, america demonstrated great resolve. this time, no matter what the circumstances reveal about who was behind what took place earlier today, we are confident that america will continue to show tremendous resolve, our spirit will not be broken, and we are confident that law enforcement will identify those responsible for what took place earlier today and bring them to justice. with that, i yield back the alance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the ntleman yields back his time.

the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the chair recognizes ms. frankel, for 30 minutes. ms. frankel: i ask that all members may have five legislative days to include special remarks under my special order. tonight's special order is meant to order israel's 65th

independence day and yet, first, today's tragedy demands our attention. security officials continue to investigate the details of the incident, i know that all americans join with us today, our thoughts and prayers affected, the victims, their families and the courageous first responders. when acts like this occur, it find it even more important that we carry on and refuse allow our lives to be dictated by those wishing ill. in many ways it is fitic to discuss israel, a nation that are knows all tool well the pain of these tragedies. today, israelis commemorated memorial day to honor the memory of 24,000 israeli men, women and children who have been killed in

terror attacks and wars in the past 65 years. immediately following the memorial day, though, israel transitions to independence day when israelis and jews across the globe celebrate the modern-day revival of the state of israel. the abrupt transition from the sadness of memorial day to the joy and celebration of independence day embodies the israeli narrative and serves as a lesson in resilience. 65 years ago, israel began as a modest nation of 800,000 people fighting for its very survival. today, israel's population stands at over eight million. it's a thriving liberal democracy. a global economic and high-tech powerhouse and maintains the

region's most powerful military force. 65 years ago, this success was not guaranteed and at times eemed almost unattainable. memorial day just ended tonight. holocaust day which was commemorated last week, a potent reminder of the struggles the jewish people have faced and ontinue to face. the story of the jewish people is riddled with triumph and tragedy and israel's national anthem, meaning the hope, sings of the dream to be free, people n a land of our own, after genocides, that dream has been realized in the establishment of the state of israel. now, mr. speaker, i would like

to introduce and bring up a very distinguished member of our illinois delegation, congressman -- congresswoman january schakowsky. ms. schakowsky: i want to thank my colleague, representative frank ell from florida for bringing us. we are wearing the colors of the israeli flag today in celebration of the 65th birthday, anniversary of the state of israel. i, too, when i walked over to the capitol, i saw our flag at half mast, recognizing the tragedy that happened in boston and i would like to acknowledge and give my condolences to those families of the two that we know have been lost, have been killed

and wish well the dozens more that have been injured. and i do believe in what the president said that whoever did this will be brought to justice. so along with israelis and their friends around the world, we are also at a moment in celebration, celebrating the renewal of the jewish state in the land of israel. for 65 years, our two nations have enjoyed a close friendship as well as a strategic alliance. since the united states became the first country to recognize israel, a mere 11 minutes after her founding, president truman recognized israel as a state and that relationship and that bond has continued to grow and strengthen.

rooted in shared ideals and reams as well as common global threats. united states-israel relationship remains as critical today as it was in 1948. as a jew and a member of congress, i have a strong personal connection to the state of israel and i'm committed to continuously to work and grow and strengthen that u.s.-israel relationship. even in the face of terrorism and war, israel has become a leader in technology and energy and scientific innovation. and those people that haven't gone, you ought to go and see the spirit of israel, despite the relentless years of war, attack and terrorist bombing. this is a resill yent people, -- resilient people looking to find

joy in every day life and looking forward to the future. i traveled to israel this past february. and like i have been on previous trips, i was struck for the need of a peaceful future with the israeli people. and it's my wish today on the celebration of the anniversary that the years to come will show a time of peace. we need peace. earlier -- and just ending it at sunset tonight in israel, israelis pause for remembrance to commemorate the over 20,000 israelis who have given their lives in defense of the jewish state as well as thousands more killed in terrorist attacks. and even as we celebrate israel's shift, we remember those who gave their lives for their country. as we continue to stand with the israeli government in the face

of threats and terrorism, i strongly believe that the united states must also continue to work together with our israeli partners to ensure a secure and peaceful future for israel and for the entire middle east. israel is our closest friend and ally in the turbulent middle east region and the u.s. congress remains committed for a safe and secure future for the israel people. there aren't a whole lot of things that i can say with a lot of confidence, but i can say the support for israel is a bipartisan, nonpartisan issue for members of congress. for over six decades, the u.s.-israel friendship has been fortified by this bipartisan understanding about the critical importance of the relationship to both countries. so today, congresswoman frankel

arbitration as we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the state of israel, we remain committed to a safe and secure future for israel. thank you so much for allowing me to participate in this wonderful hour of celebration. >> i thank you very much. and we are joined here today by a new comer to congress, but a very rising star, my neighbor and friend, the distinguished colleague who is on the house financial services and small business committees and i know recently took a trip to israel, congressman patrick murphy. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. speaker, first, i want to thank this opportunity to express my heart felt condolences to the

tragedy that occurred earlier today in boston. my heart goes out to those involved in this most difficult time. i want to take this opportunity to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the state of israel. since there was the establishment of the state of israel on april 126, 1948, the united states and israel have maintained an unbreakable bond. it is in our common goals of democracy, freedom and a desire for peace. in this time of difficult security challenges and economic concerns, this partnership is more important than ever to the prosperity of both nations. bilateral trade between the united states and our ally israel creates jobs here at home and contributes to the united states economy. and israel accounts for 25% of u.s. exports to the middle east.

united states and israel share a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship that has attracted intell, microsoft and google to israel. tens of thousands of jobs in the united states are created by israeli companies and it has the third most companies on nasdaq. and 65 years, israel has accomplished extraordinary achievements whether in technology, business, agriculture or defense. its innovations and advancements contribute to the daily lives of all americans. for example, some of the most important technology we use every day, including instant messenger, voice mail and computer processor was developed in israel. me medical is saving us. and israeli developed medical technologies are protecting american troops. mr. speaker, our partnership

with israel is not just an investment in american jobs and american prosperity, but investment in freedom and democracy, simply put, investing in israel is investing in america and we must continue to maintain our strong relationship with the state of israel. i ask my colleagues to congratulate israel on her 65th anniversary independent day and reaffirm the lasting partnership between our two countries. thank you. ms. frankel: thank you, mr. murphy. i have the privilege of introducing the distinguished ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee, representative engel from the great state of new york. mr. engel: i thank the gentlewoman from florida and let me say as the ranking member on the house foreign affairs committee, i wanted to let you

know what a valued member of our committee the the gentlewoman from florida is. she is a new member of congress, but we value her opinions and thoughts and hard work on our committee and i know she's got a very bright future on our committee and in congress and i thank her for inviting me to participate in this very important special order. the united states and israel, as we have heard, mr. speaker, from so many of our colleagues who have spoken, have much in common. israel is the only democracy in the middle east. the united states is the oldest democracy in the world. we have similar values. standard of living of citizens in both our countries is higher than most of the world. and israel and the united states share common concerns. israel is celebrating. its 65th birthday, the

celebration of the holiday. and i think all americans want to congratulate the people of srael for per servering in a dangerous neighborhood and dangerous environment. earlier today we had a terrible tragedy in the united states in boston, where lives were lost, in what seems to be a bombing or potential terrorist attack. i don't want to jump to conclusion and as a new yorker who lived through september 11, 2001, terrorism is something that whenever it rears its ugly head, all people of goodwill must condemn it. people of israel voo lived through that and lived through bombings at pizza shops and weddings and random bombings of

people who don't care about life but care about death. so we pause, of course, for the loss of life in boston today and understand that when israel has gone through a terrorist attack, there is a similar crying out of wanton acts of terror. . i just returned from israel, i had the honor to have traveling there with president obama. the president is working feverishly to try to move toward a two-state solution which all of us believe is the best thing that could happen, a palestinian state and an israeli jewish state and certainly the united states its allay, stand by israel.

i'll be going -- its ally, israel. i'll be going back in a few weeks with the senior members of the house foreign affairs committee and other committees because we realize how important it is to continue to keep the relationship between the u.s. and israel. it's been a strong partnership and it's been a good partnership. israel is one of the greatest supporters of the united states, the united nations and elsewhere and of course the united states is one of the greatest supporters of israel. iron dome which is saving countless israeli sillian lives , has been funded for and provided for by the united states. the united states has stood by the people of israel in its constant fight against terrorism. so i am just so happy that we re celebrating israel's 56th -- 65th birthday, i guess that makes israel a senior citizen, these days, but israel is

obviously a very new country, but of people in a very, very old land. israel is the ancient jewish homeland and the rebirth of the jewish state in 1948 is a miracle for all to behold. i'm very, very proud of the relationship that we in the united states have with the state of israel and the people of israel and i'm very proud that we have strong supporters of israel on both sides of the aisle that israel, as ms. schakowsky said before is a bipartisan or nonpartisan issue, that people, democrats and republicans, understand that israel's fight for democracy against terrorism is really the same fight we have here in the united states. so again, i want to -- i want to thank the gentlewoman from florida for including me in this and i look forward to continuing to work with her on the foreign affairs committee and in congress on this issue

and so many other issues of importance to the people of the united states. yield back. >> thank you, congressman. i'm pleased to bring up another new member of congress, a colleague of mine in the class of 2013 and a colleague of mine on the foreign affairs committee and the subcommittee on the mideast and northern africa, the -- from the great state of illinois, brad schneider. mr. schneider: thank you and it's an honor to rise to speak in celebration of this holiday, the 65th anniversary of the birth of israel and a partnership between our country and the country of israel for all of those 65 years, i was proud that the united states is one of the first countries to recognize the new state 65 years ago and our bond has

continued to grow. i had the privilege of being in israel 15 years ago for the jubilee celebration and to see the vie brancy of the country and the hopes for prosperity and peace in the region that were shared by so many of the people. as we come forward 15 years, see that the partnership between the united states and israel has continued to grow, that, it was mentioned earlier, on so many different aspects, on security and defense but also economically, culturally, we are sharing technologies, we are sharing ecks appearances, we have a special bond built on common values and a common dream of a better world for our children and contributing to the world in so many different ways. i was in israel three years ago, i had a chance to see some of the new technologies that were emerge, both with electronic cars, some of the medical technologies, and you

see that the partnership with the united states and israel in technology is contributing to the entire world. in medical aspects, where research is being done collaboratively between our clint and researchers in israel, working to find cures for disease to ease the pain and burdens of families and individuals afflicted with different diseases, cancers and other types, this is something that is a beacon to the rest of the world. my district in illinois, the 10th district of illinois is home to many people who have family in israel who travel to israel, our connection to israel is not strictly political. it is personal. and the relationship we have and will continue to have is a special bond that i'm pleased and honored to be able to represent, with you being a member of the mideast north african committee, being a lifelong advocate for israel,

it is a great honor for me to stand here and celebrate the 5th anniversary of israel, i'm honored to be going to israel again in two weeks with members of the chicago community and we'll be looking, we'll be going throughout the country and have a chance to visit iron dome and other places where israel is at the frontlines of a bat that will is ours together. i'm proud and honored to represent yale here in the house of -- the house of representatives, knowing that the bond, the connection, between israel and the united states is found secure. thank you very much. ms. frankel: tonight we've had a very good, i think, discussion here because in israel, as we speak, israelis dressed in blue and white flood the streets for ceremonies and parties to celebrate all that

is real -- all that israel has accomplished. what a lesson we have learned even with the sadness in our hearts tonight for the people in boston, we can learn from israel. the resilience of how to come back from tragedy. and i thank both you, mr. schneider, and mr. murphy, for reminding us that, you know, israel is not just to be known for a place of trouble and conflict. they've developed some of the lading universities of the world, both the highest ratio of universities -- university degrees to population, as mr. murphy mentioned, it's often labeled for a startup nation for its remarkably advanced entrepreneurial economy and among the world leaders in high

tech industry and at the forefront of research and development in the field of renewable energy sources. most incredibly, even as israel strugtols protect and care for its own population, israel regularly extends humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, mobile hospitals and other emergency supplies to help victims of disasters around the world. and look, we know that israel has its share of difficulties, as every country does, but despite the current impasse for the peace process, the majority of reals continue to show support far two-state solution. so as we conclude tonight, i want to say this, that i know, on a personal note, as a mother of a combat veteran, i know too

well the pain and fear of lying awake at night wondering if your child will come home safe. that's the feeling that parents in israel often have, and that is the reason that i know i will work with mr. schneider, mr. engel, ms. schakowsky and the rest of our colleagues here in what i am so happy to say is a bipartisan way a bipartisan way, to strengthen the united states-israel relationship. with that, mr. speaker, i just want to say, hp by birthday -- happy birthday to the state of israel. with that, i yield back the alance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman rom illinois seek recognition? -- does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? ms. frankel: i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the house stands djourned until 10:00 a.m. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? >> i ask for unanimous consent to speak out of order for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise today to commemorate a few people in boston who lost their lives and many others seriously injured today. i had to take the call -- i have yet to hear what it was but it was a terrible tragedy, i don't know if it was official terrorism or unofficial or whatever but clearly anyone to act in such a manner is an evil person an deserves to be called such. i know today that the rest of america stands with us as we have stood with others, hopefully never to do again. but i know that people of massachusetts and people of boston, this was not just a boston event. the boston marathon is an international event that draws people from around the world and i would be shocked if many of the people injured today were not from massachusetts, possibly from other states and even other countries. today is a state holiday, patriots' day. we celebrate the actions of patriots back in 1776 that

started the revolution that brought to birth that country. we remind ourselves regularly of what it is to be an american, what it is to be a patriot, what it is to be a member of a society that cares for each other. i know that the members of this house will join me in wishing well all those who were injured and sending our deepest condolences and sympathy to those people hurt and wishing well our people of law enforcement. i have absolutely full faith and confidence that they will find the people who have done this and bring them to justice so we can all rest a little easier at some point. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker: the house will observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of today's attack in boston.

we reaffirm that on days like this, there are no republicans or democrats. we are americans united concern for our fellow citizens.

i have spoken with governor patrick and the mayor and made it clear that they have every single federal resource necessary to care for the victims and council of families, and above all i made clear to them that all americans stand with the people of boston. the boston police, firefighters, and first responders, as well as the national guard, responded heroically and continue to do so as we speak. a reminder that so many american certain sacrifice on our behalf every single day without regard to their own safety in dangerous and difficult circumstances, and we salute all those who assisted in responding so quickly and professionally to this tragedy. we still do not know who did this or why. people should not jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this. we will find out why they